Former Eagles to play for Germany

There may not be any Peninsula athletes competing for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but fans of the Surrey Eagles will have a pair of hockey players to cheer for when the men’s hockey tournament begins in Vancouver.

Two former Eagles, T.J. Mulock and Jakub Ficenec, will suit up for Germany at the 2010 Games.

Ironically, neither player is a native German. Mulock, a former Eagles captain who left the team during the 2005/06 season, is a Langley resident, and Ficenec, 32, hails from the Czech Republic. Both players play in the German Elite League, and have obtained German citizenship.

Mulock will be a name familiar to recent fans of the Eagles. He was the team’s leading scorer – and arguably its best all-around player – during the team’s 2004/05 playoff run, which culminated in a BCHL championship. He captained the team the following season, before leaving for the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers.

Mulock, who now plays for the Eisbaren Berlin Polar Bears of the German League, also played in the WHL for the Vancouver Giants and Regina Pats during his junior career. Mulock’s older brother, Tyson, also played for Berlin.

Ficenec, who turns 33 a day before the Olympics begin, was a high scoring defenceman for the Eagles during a two-year stretch from 1996-98. His best season came in his second year with the team, when the smooth-skating blue-liner racked up 35 goals and 91 points in just 55 games.

Following his junior career, Ficenec spent three seasons bouncing around the North American minor league circuit before returning to Europe, where he has played since 2001.

He’s spent the last seven seasons with Ingoldstadt Panthers of the German League.